When an offshore drilling company’s business document systems continued to break down due to high volume printing, the company needed a reliable solution that would outperform their aging fleet. The new Sharp machines not only work much better than the previous models, each system replaced two of the previous machines.

Business Environment Challenges

An offshore drilling company located in Texas was having trouble keeping up with its printing volume. The company’s existing document systems continued to break down so that at times nearly 1/6 of its fleet of 129 machines would be out of service. Not only did the machines break down frequently but it took a long time for them to be serviced and fixed—sometimes as long as several weeks would go by before a service representative could visit the office.The company needed a good, solid product that would be easy to use, keep up with the volume of work and be serviced in a timely manner. Additionally, because the company’s IT team operated from a different location than many of the document systems, the team needed the ability to be able to access the machines remotely.

Technology Solutions

After a lengthy bid and test process the deal was sealed with a fleet of seventy 65 page per minute MX-6500 Sharp Pro Series Color Document Systems from Visual Edge IT, headquartered in Houston, TX. Visual Edge IT was able to cut the existing fleet by almost half by replacing 129 machines with 70 of the more robust Pro Series models. The Sharp systems’ robust volume capacity meant that what would normally be done on two printers could now be done on a single machine.

Additionally, the Pro Series Color Document System’s ability to collate and finish full-bleed color booklets was an added benefit that would pay dividends, in that it would help to reduce outsourcing costs as well as production time for projects that were being currently outsourced.

A customized user interface (UI) utilizing an intuitive touch-screen provided employees with the ability to copy, scan, fax or email easily right at the machines. Further streamlining their workflow, Sharp OSA® technology allowed for smooth integration with the company’s existing Active Directory® service and their new cloud-based fax solution, enabling users to scan, fax and email directly from the devices.

The company’s IT team was delighted with their ability to support the document systems remotely with Sharp’s Remote Front Panel feature that allows administrators to view and control the machine’s LCD panel from a PC to troubleshoot issues and train operators. This feature is invaluable to the IT department in managing their MFP fleet.

Proven results

Despite the daily large volume of printing, faxing and copying required of the machines, uptime has improved immensely. Thanks to the Sharp Remote Front Panel, the IT department can now service or load new features to the document systems remotely. When changes are made by the IT department, a clone file is pushed to the machine and the Remote Front Panel provides a real time assessment of the installation. Additionally, whenever there is an issue that needs immediate attention, the Visual Edge IT team responds quickly and efficiently.

The customized UI is easy to use and requires little to no training, a feature loved throughout the organization. And, the fact that the Sharp OSA platform enables seamless integration with the fax server cloud technology, means that operation is simple and saves the customer from adding additional phone lines just for faxing.

Not only does the fleet of MX-M6500 Pro Series Color Document Systems do the job well, the company was reassured knowing that the products came from Sharp. They felt that the Sharp name brings with it added value because of the quality and integrity of the brand and its products.

Industry

Energy

Organization

Offshore Drilling Company

Challenges

• Needed replacement multifunctional printers (MFPs) that could keep up with its large printing volume
• Needed a reliable machine that would be serviced quickly and could be serviced remotely

Solutions

• 70 MX-6500 Sharp Pro Series Color Document Systems
• A customized touch-screen user interface (UI) with the ability to copy, scan, fax and email
• Integration with the company’s existing Active Directory service
• Cloud-based fax solution integrated with the Sharp OSA development platform
• Remote front panel technology

Results

• Handles large volume print jobs quickly and easily
• Significantly reduced down time due to better quality machines and quick responses by the Visual Edge IT team.
• Company’s IT department can remotely service or load new features
• Customized UI is easy to use and required very little learning curve
• Fax server cloud technology eliminated the need for additional phone lines.